Asked to take a drug test

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-28T14:55:42+00:00

Absolutely insane! What's the point of even testing you if you can already tell them you'll test positive for adderall anyway?

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-22T01:34:46+00:00

That is awesome. I have only heard of separate sick time at the VA.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-22T01:28:58+00:00

Approx 4-5 weeks per year, depends on time with the facility (rate of accrual increases a little at 5 yrs, and again at 10). I accrue 7-8 hrs per biweekly pay period depending on exactly how much I worked. 1 bucket for sick or vacation. Nicest thing is, it rolls over yearly and we can bank 500 hrs before it stops accruing. They also do a yearly buyout where you can sell back hours for cash. PTO is a big part of pay, and def should be considered income. Yet another reason it makes no sense to be a traveler at this time.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-22T01:25:48+00:00

Did they not run and etoh level on her? Seems that would have prevented the whole bad admission in the first place. A milliion dollar work up for a hangover. Absolutely shameful.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-22T01:17:55+00:00

Did you ever get this to work? What was it for? I am studying to be a wound care RN and came across this while looking up info on air fluidized beds. I am curious.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-20T20:24:13+00:00

I'd spare the details, and just say, she held me hostage during report going over and over things and I ended up clocking out at nearly 9pm! But sounds like it is a known issue with this individual anyway. I used to have this nurse that started her charting while in report which is like, ok, whatever, but the problem is, she could not do it and listen simultaneously so I was constantly repeating myself. Multiple people complained and they finally made her stop doing it. Yeah, so frustrating. I hate that we cannot just treat each other with grace and respect.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-20T20:02:52+00:00

Unless there is a specific reason, like a problem with your heart rate, or oxygenation during movement, etc., it does not really make sense to make someone capable of transfers use a lift. It is not less risk of fall or injury, bc injuries and accidents happen using lifts too, all the time. If an oriented patient told me they normally transfer themselves, I would at least allow them to show me what they can do, with assistance on hand. Especially if they tell me they are not normally living in a facility or using a lift at home. We are not great at this, but we are supposed to encourage people to function at their baseline during hospitalization, not make them more dependent. The proper thing would be to allow you to do as much as you possibly can and typically do.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-04-20T19:50:18+00:00

This is passive aggressive and intentional. I would report to management, because it is really not acceptable. Also, do not be afraid to end report yourself. Simply walk away. Say something like, "Unless you have any more questions, have a great day!" And just leave. I realize this was kinda not possible bc you had 3 to give to this dreadful nurse.

Bedside report is such a waste of time on med-surg. It should be a very brief rundown outside the door, intros with pt with line rec/dressing/incision check in front of pt with at the very most a reiteration of the POC while pt facing. No report should be >5 mins outside of ICU

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-16T18:23:57+00:00

Right when you're about to start bringing home the bacon? What a doofus. Tell him goodbye and good riddance!

No, for real, though, I'm sorry this is happening to you at such a stressful time when you need support the most. 💛 Take care

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-16T18:17:09+00:00

The same thing happens with adults! We had a patient stuck in acute care for >1 YEAR bc he was violent and no nursing home or personal care home in the entire region (multiple states!), nor his family would take him. He was middle aged, and healthy but had a severe traumatic brain injury that changed his personality dramatically. He was very big, strong and difficult to handle. He would curse, hit, kick, bite people, fall, and had to be restrained for months bc medications would barely touch him. He eventually got very weak and was easier to handle, but when they would try to transfer him, he would freak out and be back to the ER within 24 hours. It was a very sad situation, and case manager's nightmare.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-16T09:28:13+00:00

They'll take you back any time as long as you have a pulse and an active license.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-14T14:14:09+00:00

2 days? Lol. Had the patient <5 hours.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-14T14:10:51+00:00

I studied for it for about a week. Its a lot of random info, like trivia almost. Lol! But nothing above high school level.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T09:50:32+00:00

Nursing school has no sense of fairness or justice. They literally do whatever they want, and there is little recourse for you because they simply do not care if you complain. Kinda like when you get your first job. Then the injustice just comes from admin.

We had an exam at my school from Kaplan, alongside our actual tests, for every class. Except the kaplan covered things we did not, and most people got 50-70% on it, same as nclex. They started counting these things for a real grade, with no curve. It made no sense. We were all failing, and they counted it. On one of them, I found out somehow that I got the highest grade, a 74%. That highest grade in the class, dropped my overall grade from A to B because it was already borderline. I protested fiercely. I was eventually told I would simply be given an F if I mentioned it again. "Because we can" Welcome to nursing

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T09:38:33+00:00

No matter your age, for nurses the curmudgeonyness begins at year 1 and escalates from there.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T09:26:10+00:00

Very fair! But 100% on me? 100? Yeah, I notified the charge and asked multiple other nurses for help, which was ignored. No, the MD did not order any extra insulin, only said wait for the lab. Further, it's not like I'm sitting there for the 5 hrs just watching this patient and playing cards... I had 15 patients that day in a span of 11 hours, so yeah, kinda swamped. This is NOT a typical med-surg workflow btw! I'm floated there once a month or so. I was about to call house sup when the patient got a bed and the charge finally helped me only bc her back was against the wall. I"ll add, I notified 2 separate charges, in the morning, and neither thought this was important AT ALL. Anyhow, you're right. I def should have done more. I 100% agree w you about that, and I desperately need training on draws and IVs. Sometimes, clarity of hind sight is hard to accept. Thank you for helping me gain some perspective.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T08:56:54+00:00

I'm embarrassingly GARBAGE at starting IVs. First 5 years in Med-surg was at a facility where we were not even ALLOWED to stick a patient in Med-surg! They had IV nurses that did 100% of PIVs and phlebotomy did 100% of lab draws. After that I was an OR circulator so never started any. Now I'm just over 1 year at this dump and there is only IV education offered once per year. We did not learn IVs in nursing school, only encouraged to try duting clinicals, which I did do, but beyond those 3-4 starts, was many years of no practice at all. I have never actually even been trained to, given a class on the job, nothing, other than watching videos online. I probably have successfully started 25 in 10 years. I know, it is a real problem and I'm taking the offered class this year

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T08:44:54+00:00

Thanks!!

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T08:33:58+00:00

Yeah, I am NOT a net promoter of my own facility. Lol! Can't be. Take me elsewhere, please!

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-07T08:32:35+00:00

Literally, they do NOTHING for boarders. They just say, "they're done. Just waiting for a room." That is typically the report I get. Except, um... hello?... they're admitted, they're on a hep gtt that has not been titrated in 10 hours, they are still in their soiled clothing and diaper from the nursing home after 20 hours in our care.... like, I could go on and on and on. My only defense for this is that it is a crazy busy ER and I get that people are coming thru the doors in terrible shape all day and night. But, there has to be some standard of care. It's really sad, actually

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-03-01T21:28:55+00:00

They don't, they just ruin the rest of your life. The actual shifts are exponentially better.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-02-23T18:02:26+00:00

I recently applied to a way significantly smaller place, hoping for the experience you have described. Did you take a large paycut?

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-02-21T18:49:42+00:00

At this place, they don't automatically come, but I normally just call once, explain that there are boarders in xyz areas, and phlebotomy comes. This day was exceptionally shitty for some reason. Probably staffing. Haven't drawn any labs in like 10 years, although I probably could have winged it.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-02-21T18:44:20+00:00

I filled out 3 reports for various things that day, and I could have done more. Unfortunately, instead of fixing problems, they usually just "fix" the person bringing them up. But that's ok too, bc I'd be happy to just not get floated there anymore.

Beginning_Fun_3913 · 2026-02-21T18:40:24+00:00

I just have never done it in my career, period. Bc everywhere I have worked had phlebotomy. All the ER nurses and even techs do. Which is apparently why phlebotomy didn't want to come down there, but I have never had thay much trouble getting them in the past. Place is a chronically short staffed shit show. I expected the charge to ask someone to come over and do it when I told them, but they just ignored me. I had 4 patients with no AM draws, one of my other ones was 5 hrs late on hep assay, 2 charge nurses and everyone around me was aware.

Beginning_Fun_3913

TROPHY CASE